The present invention relates generally to packaging for medical implements. More particularly, the invention relates to the containment of medical implements in separate sterile pouches packaged together in a continuous strip. This configuration allows for the opening of one pouch without breaching the integrity of another pouch. The pouches can be stored in the original or attached configuration or separated and stored separately.
Historically, there have been multipack packages on the market for the storage of medical products. As an example of such product is an angiographic catheter tri-pack which includes left coronary, right coronary and pigtail catheters, the three catheters typically used in an angiographic procedure.
More recently, medical devices for angiographic use, such as the tri-pack package mentioned above, along with a catheter introducer sheath and an angiographic guidewire, have been packaged as a multipack kit. However, there are inherent disadvantages of the kit configurations currently being marketed. The disadvantages primarily center around the lack of flexibility to a user of the devices. The components of an angiographic multipack are typically packaged together in one sterile package. This configuration would be acceptable in cases where all products were to be used in the same procedure. There are times, however, where this may not be the case. If any of the products were not used in that particular procedure, the products not used would likely be discarded as unsuitable because they would be non-sterile once the package was opened. There is yet another packaged medical device product being marketed in which sterile barriers are maintained by fastening two pouches together with a type of cardboard shroud but deficiencies exist, such as, the use of excess of packaging material and the inconvenience of storage.
The foregoing packages all have disadvantages which are overcome through the teachings of the present invention. Specifically, the present invention presents an improved package for medical implements which provides improvements to presently available packages. Thus in accordance with the multipack packaging of the present invention, particularly in regard to packaging for angiography procedures, by separating the catheters and guidewire combination from the sheath in distinct sterile compartments, the contents of one of the compartments can be used without sacrificing the sterility and usefulness of the contents of the other compartment. This is accomplished by means of the integral pouch packaging of the present invention. By way of example, if a physician chooses to use the catheters and guidewire contained in one compartment of the packaging of the present invention, but for some reason chooses not to use the sheath contained in another compartment of the packaging of the invention (perhaps deciding a different size sheath was preferred), the physician can open the compartment containing the catheters and guidewire and leave the sheath in its sterile pouch. This would allow the sheath pouch to be separated and put back into storage for use at a later date. This would not be possible with known packaged medical products.
The multipack packaging of the present invention offers the ability to maintain separate sterile barriers between the products but does so in a way that keeps the package as an integral item. This is accomplished during the pouch manufacturing process by running continuous seals along the length of the pouches and sealing between pouches. The pouches may be of different lengths creating separate compartments for the catheters and guidewire (a relatively long length) and the sheath (a shorter length). Spacing is maintained between the compartments with preferably a perforation and a seal on either side of the perforation within the spacing. Additionally, holes may be punched on either side of the perforation in the non-sealed areas.
A configuration with perforations or scoring allows a user to fold two adjacent compartments together at the weakened section. In a configuration with holes, the holes are punched to line up when the package is folded so that the package can be conveniently hung on a rack. A user may also choose to separate the pouches at a perforation and store the products separately which allows the products to be used in any combination the user wishes without regard for breaking the sterile barrier of the unused product.